Identification cards have been the subject of considerable counterfeiting. For example, according to many publications and Social Security Officials, forged Treasury checks and Welfare/Health fraud using counterfeit identification cards is rampant. A counterfeit and tamper-proof Social Security card would help prevent this fraud. Thus, it is highly desirable to provide an identification card that is difficult to counterfeit.
Moreover, even an identification card which cannot be counterfeited can be misused. For example, a person holding a valid passport or a valid permanent resident card can send it to someone outside of the country who may use it for entry purposes, if the customs agent does not recognize that the user of the passport (or permanent resident card) is a different person from the person whose picture and/or signature appears on the passport. Therefore, it is desirable to have an identification card which indicates whether its last use was for ingress or egress to or from the country, and which gives other information intended to prevent misuse.